Reaching children at a critical time

The first 1,000 days – from pregnancy to a child’s second birthday – is a critical window for growth and development. Poor nutrition during this period can have lifelong consequences, increasing the risk of stunting, wasting, impaired cognitive development and reduced future productivity.

Latest estimates (2023) show that nearly one in four children under 5 in the Philippines is affected by stunting, while around 500,000 children are suffering from wasting. The burden is even more severe in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where stunting (34.4 per cent) and wasting (6.9 per cent) rates remain among the highest in the country.

Catalytic change in progress

In 2025, the Philippines and the CNF – building on the Government’s own domestic financing and World Bank investments – launched a multi-year effort to strengthen the coverage, quality and equity of nutrition services during the first 1,000 days.

The partnership, which includes a US$13.2 million investment by the CNF alongside US$79 million from the Government and partners, focuses on reducing stunting and wasting by improving the coverage and quality of maternal and child nutrition services. 

The CNF supports the Government through a catalytic financing model that links domestic public resources with global funding and drives greater public investment in nutrition.

This is important now because it builds on 23 national nutrition priorities already set out through the First 1,000 Days Law and other national nutrition programmes. It also directly contributes to the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition 2023–2028 and the Global Action Plan on Child Wasting by improving maternal nutrition, reducing low birthweight and improving child health through universal health coverage, including access to quality essential services for all.

A central priority is institutionalizing these services through national policies, health financing mechanisms such as PhilHealth – the national health insurance provider – and strong delivery systems, so they can be sustained and expanded over time.

Strengthening maternal and child nutrition systems

One of the programme’s early achievements has been supporting the national transition from IFA supplementation to MMS. In 2025, more than 62,000 pregnant women received MMS, building on government-led progress that institutionalized MMS through its inclusion in the Essential Medicines List and integration into national health information systems. In a major step towards sustainability, the Government also allocated US$1 million for MMS procurement in the 2026 national budget.

At the same time, preventive child nutrition services continued to be delivered at scale through a combination of financing sources, including significant government investment. The CNF helped lay the policy and systems foundations that enabled this expansion and supports its continued delivery.

In 2025, 1.5 million children received two annual doses of vitamin A supplementation, 3.3 million received deworming tablets and nearly 296,000 children aged 6–23 months received MNPs. More than 883,000 children were screened for wasting across 235 municipalities, helping strengthen early identification and referral for treatment.